Year 1 Numbers, Year 2 Plan, Walnut St. Labs Acquires 23 North Digital +

When I started Walnut St. Labs it was based on instincts—with a half-a-dash of empirical data. Kinda risky. But I had a back up plan: 23 North Digital—a digital innovation consultancy. I launched it at the same time and have been running it simultaneously along with Walnut St. Labs. And to my surprise, WSL + 23ND became BFFS. They enhanced each other. Here’s a shot-glass worth of a recap for both sides of the house.

Year 1, 2014 Recapsdsc_0072

Walnut St. Labs

  • 110 Events
  • Over 3,000 people through our doors.
  • 4 startups in our incubator
  • 5 partnerships

23 North Digital

  • 35 clients – big to small
  • 3 new media properties/products
  • Developed an in-house video production team

1 + 1 = 3

So, to bolster the WSL mission, I’ve decided to bring the two sides together. Going forward, 23 North Digital will run as Walnut St. Labs’ services arm. The added advantage is that the revenue that 23 North Digital drives will directly benefit the long-term strategy of Walnut St. Labs, which includes events, the coworking space, as well as the incubator—and a few other items we’ll be talking to you about very soon.

Then Mary Walked In

mary-bwOne thing I love about the Lab is the serendipity that it creates. A key strategic decision I made in 2014 was for 23 North Digital to merge with Brandywine Creative—led by Mary Fisher. Mary is the consummate multi-tasker and has an almost pathological attention to detail 🙂 Mary turbo-charged 23 North Digital through operational excellence, management awesomeness and most importantly, 100% commitment to the goal of growth. There aren’t too many people willing to jump onto a careening experiment, but I’m glad she did. Mary Fisher will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer across Walnut St. Labs, including all business lines: 23 North Digital, Coworking, Events, and the Incubator. If you have a question, she knows the answer. Connect with Mary if you haven’t already.

Welcome to Walnut St. Labs, Mary Fisher! Let’s continue to get $*&t done!

Chris

CEO and Founder
Walnut St. Labs

A Trip Down Memory Lane: Melissa Alam’s Path to The Hive

Melissa Alam, Founder of The Hive and Femme & Fortune

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@RingTheAlam
thehivephilly.com
@TheHivePhilly
femmeandfortune.com

There is a joyous fearlessness in Melissa Alam. Her latest venture is The Hive, a coworking space for female entrepreneurs in Old City. Although she’s only officially been on the entrepreneur path since graduating from Temple University’s marketing program in 2010, really, she’s been an entrepreneur since grade school.

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“Growing up, I was obsessed with magazines like Teen. The boys in my sixth grade class felt weird about buying them, but they’d come to my locker and want the pictures of the hot chicks. So I made bundles of photos and sold them to people for $1.

2010:
“I’m a Leo, so I’m a power hungry person.”

Melissa grew into her own as a force, leading a small new sorority on Temple’s campus. She also started a blog. “It was a way for me to get better at writing. I never had the confidence to be a writer, and I have the worst memory. So it was kind of an online diary.”

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2011:
“I realized I wanted to do something where I was in full control.”

She got a job at SEO but quit after a year. “I wasn’t feeling creative any more, so I needed to move on.”

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2012:
“2012 was my year of freelance, and I loved it.”

She began designing web sites and blogs on a freelance basis. “When clients asked me for something I didn’t know, I’d say yes! And then Google it.” It was an exhilarating year. “ I loved being in the wild in my career. Being on your own teaches you the art of the hustle.”

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2013:
“Starting the magazine put me on the path to female empowerment.”

Drawing on her experience as a blogger, she started Femme and Fortune magazine. “I wanted something more professional than just a blog. So I thought, ‘why not start my own magazine.’ It caters to ambitious women.”

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2014:
“2014 is the year that changed my life.”

Melissa moved all her content to melissaalam.com, and the move felt right. “This is when I got cooler in my branding. I used serifs. I used a single color palette. I created the logo I still use today.”

Interviewing a host of women for her blog got her thinking bigger. “All these women I was meeting and talking to were building these awesome businesses. I thought, ‘Why can’t I?’”

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An acquaintance ran into her and mentioned that his office was up for rent on Craigslist. That conversation sparked an idea. “I found an office space, called up the company, and told them I want to open a co-working space for women. I want to provide workshops and resources for women who don’t have as much time to do their own research.”

In September she signed the lease. Then, Technical.ly Philly picked up her story. “I got a lot of interest from women. It’s like this is what I’ve been building myself up for.”

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2015:
“Confidence is a ladder we’re always climbing.”

As of this month, she has 10 women in The Hive. Tonight she’s hosting an event for one of them. “She’s a health and fitness coach, so she’s doing a talk on eating healthy for entrepreneurs.” Also on the radar are The Hive awards, which recognize the efforts of women in STEM careers.

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“With enough support and enough people to help you, anything is possible. Trading services, being available…all that has helped me.”

Melissa Alam was our Startup Meetup presenter on January 20, 2015.